My Ultimate NHL Team with Salary Cap

A few years back, I read an article in ESPN the Magazine in which the author constructed the ultimate hockey team, staying under the cap. Here is mine:

C. Anze Kopitar 956,000

Kopitar is a young gun that possesses the skills to score and pass. He finished last season with 77 points on a lackluster Kings team, and only took 22 penalty minutes. He is an all-around center that will be competing for Art Ross Trophy's in years to come.

C. Jonathon Toews 2,800,000

Ever since he came into the league, Toews has been one of my favorite players. This 19-year-old has great hands, speed and passing ability. The former North Dakota superstar would have won the Calder trophy for the league's best rookie if it hadn't been for an injury.

C. Eric Staal 4,500,000

Staal is 23 years old and already has a Stanley Cup. He comes from a great pedigree of hockey players and will certainly be a great candidate to center any team's first line.

C. Paul Stastny 850,000

This kid was dominant at the beginning of the 2007-08 season, but an injury stunted his terrific campaign. He's got a great eye for the game and always is two steps ahead of his opponents.

LW. Henrik Zetterberg 2,650,000

What more could one possibly want in a player? He was nominated for the Selke, which shows his defensive ability, and he won the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP, so he is clutch. He is a class act, and produces at a level almost no one in the NHL can match.

LW. Alexander Ovechkin 9,568,000

He's going to take up about a fifth of my cap room. However, Alexander Ovechkin is the most dominant player in the NHL today. He has the best shot I have seen since Al Mcinnis, the hands of Pavel Bure, and the speed of his teammate Sergei Federov. He can hit like Bob Gainey. Ovechkin carried the Capitals on his back down the stretch this season, all the way to the playoffs. He also captured the Pearson, Hart, and Art Ross Trophies. He sounds like a guy I want to build my team around.

LW. Sean Avery 1,900,000

He is my favorite player in the NHL, only because he is on the Rangers. He gets under the opponents skin, and he does a pretty good job of it. He threw Martin Broduer off his game in the playoffs this year, and he got inside Ilya Kovalchuk's head last season. Avery also has a lot of skills and can produce offensively. He will bother his opponents while scoring goals and playing defense, what more can you ask for in a 3^rd line winger?

LW. Derek Boogaard 950,000

Every team needs a goon, and Boogaard is one of the best young fighters in the league. He stands at 6'7 and weighs in at over 260 pounds. His devastating punches will show opponents net to mess with this teams skill players.

RW. Patrick Kane 3,250,000

The Blackhawks took a chance taking a kid that was 5'9, 160 lbs at first overall in 2007. However, Kane just impressed all season. He has great speed and terrific hands, and is a playmaker on the ice. He will be competing with Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and his teammate Toews for the Hart Trophy in years to come.

RW. Daniel Alfredsson, 4,414,000

I need to add a little experience and leadership to this squad. He is one of the best two-way players that the game has ever seen and brings intangibles that almost no one can match.

RW. Dustin Brown 3,175,000

Brown is a little bit like Sean Avery, but he plays with a lot more class and decency. He can pass, score, and hit, which is what a 3^rd line player is supposed to be. Brown is a quality young forward who can provide a hitting presence for this team.

RW. Sam Gagner 1,625,000

Likely Page BreakGagner turned into a shoot-out and powerplay specialist this season. Arguably, he has the best hands in the NHL right now. He was the youngest player in the league this year, and will only get better with experience.

D. Dion Phaneuf 6,500,000

Phanuef is the hardest hitter in the game right now. He is the Scott Stevens of his era, and will be winning Norris Trophy's in years to come. Every team needs a big hitting defenseman, and Phanuef is that defenseman.

D. Andrej Meszaros 984,000

Meszaros isn't going to wow anyone with his shot or his hitting ability, but he is a solid all-around defenseman that will fit nicely with any team.

D. Brian Campbell 1,250,000

Campbell is a passing wizard from the blue line. He has a nice feel for the game, and will occasionally light up an opponent (see Umberger). He will most likely quarterback the powerplay for this team.

D. Marc Staal 827,000

I had the pleasure of watching this kid mature and grow as this past season went on. He transformed from a decent defensive defenseman to a player looking like he had been in the NHL for eight years. He was very comfortable with the puck towards the tail end of the season and into the playoffs. I'm sure he'll be happy playing with his brother, also.

D. Jason Smith 1,976,000

I really was looking for the Rangers to sign this guy in the off-season, but of course one of my least favorite teams, the Flyers, had to snatch him. Smith is one of the most solid defenseman in the league right now, and is also one of the most underrated.

D. Mike Green 833,000

Green has great speed, great passing ability, and a tremendous shot. He may not be the best defensively, but him and Campbell could work well together on the powerplay here.

G. Marc-Andre Fluery 1,295,000

Before this season, I knew Fluery had the raw skills to be a great goaltender, but these past playoffs showed me he can anchor my team and carry it to a cup. Pittsburgh was outmatched in the cup finals, but M.A. Fluery kept them in it the whole way.

G. Tim Thomas 1,100,000

There really isn't much to say about him. He had a nice season this past year, and can be a capable back-up for this team.

Final payroll: 48,653,000 Still about 8 mil to spare, not too bad.

Here are the lines for this team:

Ovechkin-Toews-Kane

Zetterberg-Kopitar-Alfredsson

Avery-Staal-Brown

Boogaard-Stastny-Gagner

Phanuef-Staal

Campbell-Meszaros

Green-Smith

Powerplay: Ovechkin-Staal-Zetterberg-Green-Campbell |Gagner-Kopitar-Kane-Toews-Phanuef

PK: Brown-Zetterbeg-Phanuef-Smith | Avery-Alfredsson-Meszaros-Staal

Shootout- Gagner-Kopitar-Ovechkin-Zetterberg-Kane-Toews